sunda

3.5 out of 5
give a try to sunda since a lot of people recommend to me so i have a pretty high expectation from the beginning. the food was actually good, the price is reasonable since their plating is just on point and looks so pretty.
but they charge $5 for the tap water pr sparkling for each person. and the table is not that comfortable to compare with their price since it’s like a communal table so it’s less privacy.
therotiis incredible. it’s a must-try item. the tempe and the otak otak is really delicious too!! i love it.
overall it’s not bad, good place to try. but i would love to spend the same amount on the other place.

serving up an exquisite fusion of vietnamese and indonesian cuisine, newly opened sunda on punch lane is already making its mark on the melbourne food scene. situated in a new york loft-esque venue, the walls are exposed, the kitchen is on show, the tables are shared and the seats are limited - all elements giving the place a sense of exclusivity and (border-line half renovated) charm.with a menu that offers a twist on many of the asian classics using well known beloved flavours, sunda's menu is both unique, but familiar enough not to be intimidating.  therotiserved with vegemite satay (you heard me, vegemite satay) is not to be missed - tasting more like a freshly cooked croissant, the butteryness of the bread was cut beautifully by the saltiness in the vegemite satay.

i would rate sunda 10 stars for the food if i could!

i was taken here for my birthday dinner and a better place could not have been chosen. this is up there with the top 2 dining experiences i've had so far this year and will remember those perfectly blended flavours for a long time. very affordable fine dining and i will continue to go back with season menu changes.

food: 5/5
seeing the ingredients listed against the dishes really challenges any preconceived preferences you may think you have. e.g. i don't like vegemite but having it in thay vegemite curry was so well balanced and delicious!
the buttermilkrotiis infamous here but it says a lot when after you've tried all the dishes, you realise it wasn't close to your favourite dish because the standard here is so high.

what we tried in order of phenomenal to good:

1. egg noodles with so sauce and chicken crackling
2. lamb rump, cashew nut with native curry
3. 'otak otak' spanner crab curry with finger lime curry & rice crisps
4. buttermilkrotiwith vegemite curry
5. wagu rendang pie with sambal
6. complimentary pickled veggies (more peanut satay than pickled but it was delicious)

decor & ambience: 4.5/5
the minimalist very dark interior with stainless steel chef's (bar) table taking centre stage, it can seem quite sterile upon first entering. once we rolled up to our seats and enjoyed the experience unfold, the uniqueness all added to the charm. reminded me of nyc style restaurants.
i would highly recommend sitting up at the bar if you're a party of 2 or 3. the dining table area looked a little crammed and uninteresting to be frank.

service: 4/5
unfortunately i felt service wasn't as seamless as what i would've thought being such a highly regarded restaurant. it was an awkward welcoming as you walk in to the bench and wait to be served. after taking payment, they also didn't say goodbye. it's the small things that do get noticed the waitresses throughout the evening were faultless though.

outstanding, delicious and daring. the classics menu takes mostly indonesian/malaysian dishes and jazzes them up with australian ingredients. nguyen’s take on otak otak is something i’ll remember for years - a simple snack transformed into gourmet cuisine. the vegemiterotiis the signature dish, and deserves its reputation - finally, someone has found the right balance of an otherwise overpowering flavour. and the main (which i’d interpret as a wildly creative version of pork in plum sauce with dan dan noodles) was a fabulously fiery finale before our palates were cooled by the accompanying salad and desserts. memorable, wonderful, delightful

food: 4.3/5
service: 4.3/5
venue: 4/5

had the set menu with extrarotivegemite curry sauce in a group of 4.

entrees were all delicious, creative and inventive use of south-east asian flavours. portion of mains were very generous, we came in very hungry for an 830pm seating and couldn't finish them! desserts got mixed reviews for my party, i personally really enjoyed the shiitake pavlova which i felt had a well balanced umami and sweetness. was not a fan of the beetroot granita, however i respected its pairing with the other ingredients and felt it worked as a dish.

sunda is a great experience, however i would not recommend it for those not familiar with asian cuisines or appreciative of fine dining (eg my older parents) as the flavours can be quite confusing.

excellent service and a cosy venue.

great food with an extensive modern approach on indonesian and malaysian cuisine as what we had from the set menu for a party of 6. noodles with crispy chicken skin was the star of the night as also theirrotiwith vegemite curry. beautifully presented but tastes can somewhat overlap and you start to get this sickening taste in your mouth. the air-conditioning could be turned down quite a bit as your sitting in the middle of the restaurant, very cold air is enough to give you a head cold.
overall an innovative take on some classics and beautifully presentedin a modern way..

to try:
-rotibread with vegemite curry; i honestly could've polished that off with twice the amount of vegemite. therotiwas soo buttery and flakey. an off menu must have.
- otak otak; the curry has a parfait like texture and you spread it over the rice crisps. this is absolutely delicious and packs such a flavour punch
- marron; the marron was perfectly cooked, covered in a delicious curry sauce and already sliced in the shell so you could eat it with ease. accompanied with some cute bao buns to soak up the delicious sauce
- rangers valley wagyu; this was cooked to perfection and truly melted in your mouth. the carrots were a bit strange but the lime satay paired perfectly.

to skip:
- the set menu; i think it skips some of the more exciting items off the menu. create your own!

overall sunda was a fantastic meal. i love that it is a combination of indonesian, malaysian and vietnamese cuisine using australian ingredients, it made for the best sort of fusion experience.

do: the roti, therotiand the roti.

don't: forget the pork cutlet, wagyu pie, otak, marron or xo noodles.

tip: leave room for dessert. the vietnamese tiramisu was sensational.

it’s interesting but hype can sometimes, depending who is taking it on board, be a blessing or a hindrance. for me it turned out to be the latter. so much hype and expectation yet i left feeling flat and underwhelmed.

therotiand curry was one dimensional
the otak was pasty and underwhelming
the pork chop was confused
the noodles and xo sauce lacked depth.

the service was good although no understanding of timed seating allotments when booking or being seated meant when the tea was served with a bill and a firm nudge to get out it was way too abruptly delivered.

female waitress was on point as was another male waiter but our main waiter delivered his craft with flair but it was whimsical at best.

a solid 3, but hardly more than that on today’s experience. i can see what makes people like being here but i just wasn’t made into a fan, a shame considering all i’d heard.

finally made it to one of the popular restaurants in melbourne! i didn’t know what to expect, was i going to go home still hungry? was it going to be worth the hype? value for money etc!

we were greeted by a really nice waiter, he sat us down and offered us wine 🍷 good man! we ordered of course the vegemite roti, which wasn’t too strong like vegemite, and therotiis very buttery so it’s not over powering.

the freemantle octopus was amazing with the bush tomato & lemongrass. recommend this! the raw cobia is also very nice if you want something light.

we shared the pork cutlets for main, it was full of flavour and complimented with the broccoli salad.

overall the price for the quality of food was reasonable and the service was fantastic!

sunda is the place to be if you ever looking to try something creative, new and tasty.

located in a hidden laneway, the interior design was simple, minimal and comfy. we ordered quite a few dishes from the menu and all tasted unique, nothing like what i had before.

my favourite goes to the vegemite roti. therotiwas so crispy and who would have thought it goes so well with the vegemite! the oyster tho, omg with a hint of coconut cream that was out of my imagination, such a great novelty combo. octopus was also very chewy and flavoursome. the marron was well-presented and super fresh. the only let down was the egg noodle, for me it was a bit too salty. 

love the dessert to finish off the meal, light and refreshing. thank you sunda for giving us a great dining experience and well done on all the effort in designing and preparing all dishes. look forward to trying other special dishes.

i’ve had @sunda_dining on my list to try for a very long time after such great reviews. we started with the infamousrotiand vegemite curry, subtle in both curry and vegemite but still very apparent. even though this was the it dish to order (and delish) it was all the other dishes that left me thinking omg! beef rendeng pie had that melt in your mouth flavour paired with house made sambal (flavour explosion #1). thereafter the spanner crab parfait with rice crackers, the umami flavours were out of this world (flavour explosion #2) lastly we had the xo egg noodle with crispy chicken skin and lamp rump. i could totally eat that xo egg noodle for days and never be sick of it! 🤯🤯🤯 #flavourexplosion #3
what an outstanding menu with so much flavour in every single dish! can’t wait to go back! thank you for such a memorable and out of this world experience

amazing food and flavours that were generously served. i couldn’t fault anything and can’t wait to return to try the rest of the menu!

we had:
-rotiwith vegemite jungle curry
- wagyu rendang pie
- otak otak with rice crisps
- marron with belacan butter
- cabbage with nashi pear
- egg noodles with xo sauce and chicken crackle

this place was amazing.

from the moment i walked in, i was excited. perhaps it was the modern, open plan decor, but i think it was the ambience which was lively and not too noisy - the perfect balance.

the service by sai was fantastic as well. our family and friends loved the meal. sunda is a great place for romantic meals to group dinners.

we ordered pretty much everything on the menu. the must have dish is the buttermilkrotiwith vegemite curry. having grown up overseas, i have eaten lots of rotis, but this is the bestrotii’ve ever had, hands down. this was hubby’s fav too.

he also liked the black truffle congee, the lamb rump which was so tender and juicy, and the fried xo noodles with the pork crackling. he pretty much liked everything. when we asked for truffle +++, they delivered.

the otak otak was paired beautifully with crispy rice puffs, with a rich curry flavour, and the marron came with mantou puffs to soak up the juicy sauce

we were all blown away, and we loved the place, the food, just everything about sunda. we will be back!

wow! i don’t know how this place had escaped my notice until recently but man did it surpass expectations. there’s a cool industrial vibe and the staff are friendly and know their stuff. between 2 we shared the oysters, cured kangaroo, raw cobia, charred cucumber,rotiwith vegemite curry, and lamb rump. for the price the lamb rump came out much smaller than i expected initially but once i took a bite - it was packed full of flavour and absolutely top quality so was totally worth it. the cured kangaroo was described to us as “steak tartare meets thai larb” and that’s a pretty apt description. every dish was a standout and i would order them all again. pricey but you get what you pay for - an absolutely delicious and memorable meal.